A Saint John shopper had a frightening encounter at the East Costco location recently, after a group of masked teenagers allegedly pulled out mace and brandished a collapsible baton when they realized they were being filmed.
The incident, shared anonymously in the popular Facebook community group Around Saint John, has sparked widespread outrage among residents who say youth crime in the city is spiralling out of control.
According to the post, the incident unfolded around 8 p.m. when the shopper noticed the teens behaving suspiciously in the parking lot.
When the person began taking pictures and recording video, the teens, who had their faces covered, responded aggressively by producing the weapons in what appeared to be an attempt to intimidate and stop the filming.
The shopper reported the incident to the police, who attended and collected the photos as evidence.
Community Outrage Boils Over
The post quickly drew dozens of reactions from concerned Saint John residents who say this kind of behaviour has become all too familiar across the city. Tracey Barker summed up the mood of many when she wrote that the situation has become ridiculous, pointing to what she sees as a lack of real consequences for young offenders.
Jessie Isabell Grace O’Brien echoed that frustration, warning that someone is going to get seriously hurt if nothing changes.
Linda Parks noted a particularly alarming detail from the video, pointing out that the teens appeared to be wearing gloves and checking car door handles as they moved through the lot.
Some residents responded with dark humour. Jawn Jealoucy jokingly advised people to keep a tire iron under their front seat in case their trunk ever fails to open.
Joel Bryson took a more sobering tone, predicting that the teens will eventually threaten the wrong person and face serious consequences as a result.
They will pull up on the wrong person I’m sure matter of time they will be trying to charge someone crying for there parents
Mira Lynn offered one of the most talked-about comments, saying she would have no hesitation calling child protective services on herself if she ever discovered her own children were involved in something like this.
Calls for Better Parenting and Systemic Change
Not everyone in the comments was calling strictly for punishment. Barbara Bovaird offered a more measured perspective, suggesting that the behaviour likely stems from gaps during a critical period in these young people’s development, including a lack of structure, opportunity, and nurturing at home.
She cautioned that simply locking young people up often produces more hardened individuals rather than solving the root problem.
Debbie Smith Nicks, meanwhile, pointed to old-fashioned parenting as the most straightforward remedy, while Tammy Chambers-Wegener admitted she now carries dog repellent spray with her whenever she goes out.
Perhaps some old fashioned Parenting is the cure for these out of control brats!
Tara Cripps was more blunt, saying she is prepared to defend herself with bear spray if she is ever targeted.
Im gonna start carrying bear spray with me and if you spray me I’ll spray you asshat!
The incident has left many Saint John residents questioning whether enough is being done at the community, school, and government levels to address what they describe as a growing youth crime problem.
Police have the photos taken by the shopper, and the investigation is presumably ongoing. For now, residents say they are keeping their eyes open and watching their backs.
